Nearly 200 people representing 70 private parks and 40 vendors are meeting in Kerrville, Texas, this week for the Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO) annual spring meeting and tradeshow.

The May 16-18 event, held at Guadalupe River RV Resort, included a legislative update on Sunday, during which TACO Executive Director and CEO Brian Schaeffer and legislative consultant Ron Hinkle told park owners that the association is working with several cities across the Lone Star State to pass RV friendly codes to ensure the continued prosperity and growth of private parks in Texas.

TACO launched the effort several weeks ago after the Baytown City Council proposed an ordinance that would have prohibited people from staying in campgrounds or RV parks for more than 30 consecutive days in a six-month period.

“This ordinance, if it had been approved, would have killed the Winter Texan business in Baytown,” Schaeffer said. “Fortunately, we were able to have that item pulled from the city council agenda.”

TACO is working with Baytown to develop “a friendly RV and park model code” and is extending the effort to several other cities in Texas where the association believes such ordinances are needed.

TACO is also working with independent water boards and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to standardize RV park water rates so that parks are charged only for the water they use rather than be assessed separate fees for each campsite.

Sunday’s activities also included a roundtable discussion with Jim Rowley of Pecan Park Campground in San Marcos; Bob Kennedy of Lubbock RV Park; Doug Shearer of Parkview Riverside RV Park in Rio Frio; Terry Munoz of Thousand Trails-Lake Conroe; and Bryan Kastleman of Hill County RV Resort in New Braunfels. The panelists provided their insights on “the good, the bad and the ugly” of private park management, and covered topics involving everything from park layout and design to marketing strategies and their advice on how to prioritize park improvements.

Evening activities featured a Mexican fiesta dinner with a live band and a casino, with Rachel Rowley of Pecan Park Campground raking in $70,000 worth of casino chips.